Nepal's ex Chief Justice Sushila Karki to lead interim government: report

Nepal former Chief Justice appears to be the protesters choice for an interim leader amid political chaos and lawlessness. While there is no confirmation, protesters and some unnamed government officials have pushed Sushila Karki name.

Nepal Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel held "consultations with related stakeholders and held a meeting with representatives of Gen Z" on Wednesday, a military spokesperson said, referring to the loose umbrella title of the protest movement, without giving further details.

"Right now, Sushila Karki's name is coming up to lead the interim government -- we are now waiting for the president to make a move," said Rakshya Bam, who was among those attending the meeting.

"We discussed with the army chief about the future," she told AFP.

"The conversation was about how we can move forward, keeping the peace and security of the country."

Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel is said to have played a big role in saving the nation of 30 million people from slipping into anarchy. He reportedly drove to Karki’s house in village Dhapasi around 2 am on September 10 to convince her take up the role.

Karki, 73, an academic and Nepal's first female Supreme Court chief justice, has told AFP that "experts need to come together to figure out the way forward", and that "the parliament still stands".

In a virtual meeting attended by thousands on the online social platform Discord, young people discussed their varied agendas --- and debated who should represent them.

There were conflicting arguments and several names proposed.

"There are divisions," journalist Pranaya Rana said. "It is natural in a decentralised movement like this that there are going to be competing interests and competing voices."

Nepal's deadly protests

The chaos in Nepal spiraled this week as millions of Gen-Z were triggered by a short-lived social media ban. But many demonstrators say the real reason behind the agitation was years of alleged corruption and inequality in Nepal's society.

At least 19 people died across the country in the widespread violence.

Four time PM KP Sharma Oli resigned Tuesday in the face of protests, which killed at least 19 people. His whereabouts are unknown.

His former coalition ally, 79-year-old Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress –- a five-time prime minister -- has not been seen since the unrest erupted.

Multiple government buildings, including the century-old parliament and the Supreme Court, were charred by protesters.

Soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital for a second day on Thursday, which appeared to be quiet, with multiple army checkpoints set up along the streets.